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by François Villon (1431 - 1463)
Translation © by Laura Prichard
Ballade des femmes de Paris
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
Quoy qu'on tient belles langagières Florentines, Veniciennes, Assez pour estre messaigières, Et mesmement les anciennes; Mais, soient Lombardes, Romaines, Genevoises, à mes perils, Piemontoises, Savoysiennes, Il n'est bon bec que de Paris. De beau parler tiennent chayeres, Ce dit-on Napolitaines, Et que sont bonnes cacquetières Allemandes et Bruciennes; Soient Grecques, Egyptiennes, De Hongrie ou d'aultre païs, Espaignolles ou Castellannes, Il n'est bon bec que de Paris. Brettes, Suysses, n'y sçavent guèrres, Ne Gasconnes et Tholouzaines; Du Petit Pont deux harangères les concluront, Et les Lorraines, Anglesches ou Callaisiennes, (ay-je beaucoup de lieux compris?) Picardes, de Valenciennes... Il n'est bon bec que de Paris. Envoi Prince, aux dames parisiennes, De bien parler donnez le prix; Quoy qu'on die d'Italiennes, Il n'est bon bec que de Paris.
Modernized form of text:
Quoi qu'on tient belles langagères Florentines, Vénitiennes, Assez pour être messagères, Et mêmement les anciennes; Mais, soient Lombardes, Romaines, Genevoises, à mes perils, Piémontoises, Savoisiennes, Il n'est bon bec que de Paris. De beau parler tiennent chayères, Ce dit-on, Napolitaines, Et que sont bonnes caquetières Allemandes et Prussiennes; Soient Greques, Egyptiennes, De Hongrie ou d'autre pays, Espagnoles ou Catelannes, Il n'est bon bec que de Paris. Brettes, Suisses, n'y savent guères, Ne Gasconnes et Toulousaines: Du Petit Pont deux harengères Les concluront, et les Lorraines, Anglesches ou Calaisiennes, (Ai-je beaucoup de lieux compris?) Picardes, de Valenciennes; Il n'est bon bec que de Paris. Prince, aux dames parisiennes De bien parler donner le prix; Quoi qu'on dit d'Italiennes, Il n'est bon bec que de Paris.
Text Authorship:
- by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Ballade des femmes de Paris", appears in Le Testament [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Ballade des femmes de Paris", L. 126/(119) no. 3 (1910), published 1911 [ voice and piano ], from Trois Ballades de François Villon, no. 3, Édition Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wim Franken (b. 1922), "Ballade des femmes de Paris", 1969, published 1969 [ tenor and piano ], from Cinq poèmes de François Villon, no. 3, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques de Menasce (1905 - 1960), "Ballade des femmes de Paris", published 1962 [ tenor and piano or orchestra ], from Quatre Chansons, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Durand [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Algernon Charles Swinburne) , "Ballad of the women of Paris"
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Ballade of the women of Paris", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 29
Word count: 124
Ballade of the women of Paris
Language: English after the French (Français)
Whoever we consider [to be] charming conversationalists Florentines, Venetians, Enough for [them to be able] to be messengers, As were those of old; But, be they Lombards, Romans, Genevans, [I assert] at my peril, Piedmontese, Savoyards, There is none more loquacious1 than [a woman] from Paris. In fine speaking, they hold chairs. That is said of Neapolitans. And they are good babblers [those] Germans and Prussians; Such is said of Greeks, Egyptians, [And those] from Hungary or other lands, Spaniards and Catalans, [yet] There is none more loquacious than [a woman] from Paris. Bretons, Swiss, they scarcely know anything, Neither [do] Gascons and Toulousianes: [Even] two fishwives at the Petit Pont2 Can out-talk them, and those from Lorraine, England or Calais, (Have I included enough places?) Those from Picardy, from Valencia; There is none more loquacious than [a woman] from Paris. [Envoi]3 Prince, to the women of Paris Who speak so well, give the prize; Whatever we say of the Italians, There is none more loquacious than [a woman] from Paris.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 "bon-bec" (literally, "good-nose") refers to someone who is chatty, or "has the gift of gab." The literary character of Cyrano de Bergerac has both a good (-sized) nose and this loquacious quality.
2 The Petit Pont is the "Little Bridge" over the River Seine, connecting to the Île de la Cité; it had houses on it during Villon’s lifetime.
3 This last short quatrain is an "envoi," usually labeled by Villon as such. An "envoi" or "envoy" is a shorter stanza at the end of a poem used to directly address someone (the beloved object of the poem or the poet’s patron). Fourteenth-century French poetry uses the word "Prince" to address authority figures and actual royalty.
1 "bon-bec" (literally, "good-nose") refers to someone who is chatty, or "has the gift of gab." The literary character of Cyrano de Bergerac has both a good (-sized) nose and this loquacious quality.
2 The Petit Pont is the "Little Bridge" over the River Seine, connecting to the Île de la Cité; it had houses on it during Villon’s lifetime.
3 This last short quatrain is an "envoi," usually labeled by Villon as such. An "envoi" or "envoy" is a shorter stanza at the end of a poem used to directly address someone (the beloved object of the poem or the poet’s patron). Fourteenth-century French poetry uses the word "Prince" to address authority figures and actual royalty.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Ballade des femmes de Paris", appears in Le Testament
This text was added to the website: 2016-01-04
Line count: 29
Word count: 171